The invention relates to a fluid-sealing electric motor connector for a housing of an electric motor, in particular an electric motor of an engine cooling fan or of an Antilock Braking System/Electronic Stability Program (ABS/ESP®) system of a motor vehicle. The invention further relates to a motor, in particular an electric motor for an engine cooling fan or of an ABS/ESP® system of a motor vehicle, or a ready-to-use electrical cable for such a motor.
For cost reasons, when producing electric motors, in particular direct current (DC) motors, deep-drawn parts are used for the housings thereof. In different applications, such as for example in engine cooling fans and/or in the ABS/ESP® area of motor vehicles, such electric motors have to be fluid-sealed, i.e. the electrical control and supply lines have to be inserted in a fluid-sealed manner via a sealing flange into the electric motor. FIG. 1 of the drawings shows such a sealing flange 100 according to the prior art, wherein the sealing flange 100 itself is fluid-sealed relative to the housing 70 via an axial seal 105 and one respective electrical line 80 via a radial seal 106.
The terminology used hereinafter for the seals is based upon the mechanical loading of the seal, i.e. a mechanically axially loaded seal is denoted as the axial seal and a mechanically radially loaded seal is denoted as the radial seal. The seals may, however, also be denoted according to the path of their sealing function, wherein the terms may be reversed, i.e. an axial seal is then denoted as the radial seal and a radial seal is denoted as the axial seal.
The sealing flange 100 according to the prior art is secured by means of self-tapping and/or self-cutting screws 102 to the housing 70, wherein the screws 102 have to be supported via steel sleeves 101 in order to prevent setting behavior of the sealing flange 100 which is produced from a relatively flexible plastics material. Moreover, the screws 102 are micro-encapsulated 103 in the region of their screw holes 104 in the housing 70, whereby said screws are also fluid-sealed relative to the housing 70. By means of the micro-encapsulation 103, the sealing flange 100 is only able to be removed again from the housing 70 by breaking open the micro-encapsulation 103; i.e. in the event of a repair, wherever possible the sealing flange 100 remains on the housing 70, as otherwise the micro-encapsulation 103 would have to be carried out again.
The screw connection required for the axial contact of the sealing flange 100 is complex and relatively cost-intensive, as additional screw holes 104 have to be provided and said screw holes have to be sealed by means of special screws 102. Moreover, the screwing process is relatively complicated, wherein micro-encapsulated screws 102 are expensive and the seal thereof (ca. 2000 ppm) is not always guaranteed in mass production. During the tapping process of the screws 102, shavings are produced which are able to penetrate the interior of the housing 70, which subsequently may cause damage during operation of the motor or to a printed circuit board which may lead to a breakdown of the entire motor. Moreover, the material consumption is increased by a screwing-on region of the sealing flange.